The NFW profile is an approximation to the equilibrium configuration of dark matter produced in simulations of collisionless dark matter particles by numerous groups of scientists.[3] Before the dark matter virializes, the distribution of dark matter deviates from an NFW profile, and significant substructure is observed in simulations both during and after the collapse of the halos.

Alternative models, in particular the Einasto profile, have been shown to represent the dark matter profiles of simulated halos as well as or better than the NFW profile.[4][5] The Einasto profile has a finite (zero) central slope, unlike the NFW profile which has a divergent (infinite) central density. Because of the limited resolution of N-body simulations, it is not yet known which model provides the best description of the central densities of simulated dark-matter halos.

The observations of both the Milky Way and M31 may be compatible with the NFW profile for the dark matter halo.[6] The dark matter profile of smaller galaxies tend to have flatter distributions of dark matter in the central region, known as the cuspy halo problem.